A Shade of Gray
by LadyKatie
Summary: As Draco and Snape flee Hogwarts, Draco contemplates what exactly just happened and what side he’s on. Warning! Spoilers for HBP lie ahead!


Description: As Draco and Snape flee Hogwarts, Draco contemplates what exactly just happened and what side he's on. Warning! Spoilers for HBP lie ahead!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, nor do I make any money off fan fictions, so I really hope that nobody sues me...all I have is fifty cents anyway.

Author's notes: This is just a one-shot. Post-HBP. It sorta goes along with a much longer fic that I'm working on. It's H/D with R/Hr and covers year seven's search for the Horcruxes. I'll probably start posting that one in a week or two, if anyone's interested. Until then, Enjoy!

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"Run Draco!"

He did run. He ran to the end of the apparition barriers. Draco was vaguely aware of Snape stopping and could hear him yelling something at Potter, but he kept running. This was _not_ happening. It all went so quick. Was this what war was like? Quick decision, killing without thought or regret, no time to process it all; just keep running.

Dumbledore was dead. But Draco didn't finish his task, Snape did. Snape, who had been interfering all year. A surge of anger went through Draco at that thought, but it was quickly replaced by fear. He couldn't do it. He had come so far, succeeded where so many others failed. The Dark Lord himself had never gotten Dumbledore cornered before. He was trapped, without a wand, but Draco couldn't finish the job. What would the Dark Lord say? He would be pleased Draco was able to get the Death Eaters inside, but angry that Snape had to finish it. He wouldn't want such a scared child as his follower. Not that Draco thought it much of an honor anymore. What kind of great leader would send a child to do such a thing? The kind of leader who wanted to punish a family for its mistakes, thought Draco, bitterly.

Dumbledore was willing to give Draco another chance–despite everything his family had done, despite trying to kill him all year. He had nearly killed two innocent students, used Unforgivable Curses, and yet, Dumbledore was still willing to offer him forgiveness. The Dark Lord certainly wouldn't have offered that. Draco almost laughed at the thought of Lord Voldemort shaking Harry Potter's hand and putting the past behind them.

Draco waited there just outside the school grounds. Even in his current state of mind he registered that he would certainly splinch himself if he tried to apparate. He'd barely managed to do it in class and certainly couldn't pass the test, even if he was old enough. Not that he worried about Ministry rules, he'd surely broken enough already tonight. But the thought of half of him being left behind was something that only adding to Draco's every-increasing nausea. He would wait for the others. But the others didn't come. Finally, he saw a large shadow and blonde hair running through the darkness. Patrick Parkinson, Pansy's older brother, and dedicated Death Eater.

"You sure fucked this one up, Draco! It's a good thing Snape was here to bail you out! Wait until the Dark Lord hears about this!" And with that he was gone. Draco looked back toward the castle. Hagrid's hut was afire and another shadow was running toward the gate.

"Draco! Draco, over here! Hold my arm and I'll apparate us!"

He didn't question it. The only other person there who could help him had fallen from the Astronomy Tower. He closed his eyes tightly and endured the unpleasant feeling of apparition. When he opened them again, Draco wasn't sure where they were. It appeared to be a dark, musty sitting room. Snape waved his wand and the lamps lit themselves. Snape immediately began pacing, while Draco stayed frozen in shock.

"Stupid boy. If you'd just listened to me before . . . "

"What?" Draco mustered all that was in him for a feeble sneer. Snape glared. "You didn't have to do it! You could have stayed in the dungeon and pretended you didn't know!"

"You fool boy! I took an oath! I'd be dead right now! I did what I knew I would have to the day your stupid mother made me take that damned vow!"

"You really did take an Unbreakable Vow? I thought you just said that so I'd let you take over my plans."

"Yes, I took it. As if I wanted your damned task!"

"Why? He'll love you now! This ensured that you'll always be his favorite!"

Snape sat down on the sofa, closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "It wasn't supposed to happen this way. After all these years . . . " He was mumbling more to himself than actually speaking to Draco. "I can explain myself easily enough. My cover was blown and the boy couldn't do it. He won't have a problem with me." His eyes popped open. "There were witnesses, Draco, that will tell the Dark Lord of your inability to kill. What will you do?"

"I...I can't go back, can I? He's already angry with my family. He won't forgive this."

"Tell the truth, boy. Are you loyal to the Dark Lord? Do you even _want_ his forgiveness? Because it won't be easy to earn."

How was he supposed to answer that? Was Snape trying to trap him? Would he hex Draco and take him to the Dark Lord for answering wrong?

"I...don't know."

They both slapped a hand to their forearm where the Dark Mark burned. The Dark Lord was summoning them. The others must have returned to him with news of what had happened.

"What will you do?"

"I have to go. I'll have to hide." Snape merely nodded. "Will you . . . ? Will he come looking for me?"

"I'll tell him that you disapparated and I don't know where you went."

"You'd lie to the Dark Lord for me?"

"The world is not divided into black and white, right and wrong. There are shades of gray which you could not possibly understand."

"He'd kill you if he found out."

"The only hope that I have left is that I die before the end of this war. It goes against the self-preservation instinct that's kept me alive for so long, but I'm through with it. I know finally that he was right. There are worse things than death."

Draco was confused. It seemed Snape was talking to himself again. "Who?"

Snape turned to stare out the window. "Run, Draco. I'll cover for you. I'll even do my best to protect your mother. You realize of course, your choices are now limited to two. You leave England for good and go into hiding, changing your name and your story. Of course the Dark Lord has nearly as many servants abroad as he does here. You will be found and you will beg for death before the end. Or, you go to Potter to beg forgiveness and protection. He's a trusting fool who learned from the master of trusting fools. He'll take you in. Maybe with your knowledge and his he may have a chance to win this."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Snape turned to him now, a weariness in his eyes that Draco had never seen before. "Shades of gray. Now go."

Wondering if he was really doing the right thing, Draco spun on his heel and ran out the door. He didn't know where he was going–he didn't even know where he was. But he kept running.

Where was he going to go? Certainly by morning everyone in the Wizarding World would be looking for him. Voldemort would want him dead. He was on his own for the first time. No money. No name. No protection. Snape was right; he should lie low for a while and then find Potter.

What would he say when he found them? The truth. But what was the truth? That he was ready to switch sides? Yes . . . and no. He didn't want to fight for Voldemort. But what about everything he'd ever been taught about blood and family and power? He wasn't ready to give that up yet either. Would that be enough for Potter? It would have to do. He wasn't a Dark wizard if that meant following Voldemort. He certainly wasn't a 'light' wizard either. As Draco ran through the woods and fields to his unknown destination, he began to understand what Snape meant. Draco knew that he was another shade of gray.

End.

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Thank you for reading. Now, please review or I will be forced to resort to drastic measures! 


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